Abstract

The threats posed by climate change call for strong action from the international community
to limit carbon emissions. Before the Fukushima accident that followed the earthquake and
tsunami on 11 March 2011, both Britain and Japan were considering an ambitious expansion
of nuclear power as part of their strategy to reduce carbon emissions. However, the accident
may have thrown nuclear as a publicly acceptable energy technology into doubt. This study
uses several nationally representative surveys from before and after the Fukushima accident
to examine how it may have changed public perceptions of climate change and energy
futures in Britain and Japan. The study found that already before the accident the Japanese
public were less supportive of nuclear power than the British. Whereas British attitudes have
remained remarkably stable over time, the Japanese public appear to have lost complete
trust in nuclear safety and regulation, and have become less accepting of nuclear power,
even if it would contribute to climate change mitigation or energy security. In Japan the
public are now less likely to think that any specific energy source will contribute to a reliable
and secure supply of energy. The implications for energy policy are discussed.